Agri BERTORELLA | House in Levice, Piedmont

Positive: The host was amazing!!! Good fantastic! We had an amazing time!!

Negative: We got there late and we could not see much as it was not well announced.

Positive: Alberto, the owner, is a delightful person. At first he may appear a little cold, but he goes the extra mile for his guests. The location is very good, but personally my least favourite part of the Langhe. The nearest town of note is Alba, which is some way away. The food was absolutely outstanding, and all made with fresh, local ingredients. There is a swimming pool, which is essential during the summer to combat the stifling heat. There is a river nearby in which it is possible to fish provided you purchase the relevant licence online.

Negative: I feel really bad about writing some negatives, as the owner is so nice. Everything is very, very dated: the pool and surrounding areas, the décor, the furniture, the bathrooms, the equipment - you name it. The pool tiles are really dangerous, especially for children. The shower was so tiny I had great difficulties fitting my breasts in. It also did not shut properly due to being so old, meaning that water got out. The shower handle was broken. I slept really badly due to the heat first, and then the temperature dropping quite considerably in the middle of the night. Had there been air conditioning, a constant temperature could have been maintained throughout the night. All the windows and doors need mosquito nets, yet there are none, so you either stay in darkness with the window wide open so mosquitos don’t enter the room, or you keep the window closed but melt due to the heat. For me personally, however, the biggest disappointment was the fact that it felt a little like living with my parents. The owner’s wife expressed some dissatisfaction that all the guests were still awake and chatting (in the outside dining area) at 11:00 PM. The owner switched all the outside lights off without as much as a word around 10:30 PM, whilst all the guests were mid-conversation after eating their dinner. My husband and I wanted to spend some time watching the Perseid meteor shower one night by the pool, but we were told we couldn’t because we’d wake the dogs and they’d then bark incessantly (which they did anyway). Such a shame, because the potential of this place is immense, but in my 30s I want to be able to enjoy a conversation at the dinner table with fellow guests without being told off!